Drinking straw mountable container systems and methods

ABSTRACT

This disclosure extends to systems, apparatus, and methods related to food serving containers that may be mountable on a drinking straw in a beverage cup in a first conformation. A body portion formed as a cup for receiving food has an elongated tab extending upwards to a distal end. A straw mounting recess passes through the tab near the distal end. The elongated tab may be sized and configured to allow the body to dangle alongside a beverage container when the container is placed over a straw in the beverage container lid. The elongated tab may have predetermined folding lines, and the container body may include a connection feature, such that in a second conformation, the elongated tab may function as a closure for retaining food in the container. The closure may allow for retaining the food with a portion thereof visible.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/184,027, filed May 4, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,

BACKGROUND

The disclosure relates generally to containers for food service, especially containers that may be disposable.

Typical containers for quick food service are standalone items that are provided to customers on a tray or in a bag. A container for container system that could be easily attached to another item and thereby eliminate the need for separate tray or bag would be an improvement in the art. Such components or assemblies that had different conformations for different uses would be a further improvement in the art.

SUMMARY

This disclosure extends to systems, apparatus, and methods related to food serving containers that may be mountable on a drinking straw in a beverage cup in a first conformation. A body portion formed as a cup for receiving food has an elongated tab extending upwards to a distal end. A straw mounting recess passes through the tab near the distal end. The elongated tab may be sized and configured to allow the body to dangle alongside a beverage container when the container is placed over a straw in the beverage container lid. The elongated tab may have predetermined folding lines, and the container body may include a connection feature, such that in a second conformation, the elongated tab may function as a closure for retaining food in the container. The closure may allow for retaining the food with a portion thereof visible.

In some illustrative embodiments, the containers in accordance with the present disclosure may be formed from a suitable material that can be cut as a single sheet to form a blank that can be folded to form a finished container in accordance with the present disclosure. This may be useful for single use versions of such containers.

The features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description, which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure without undue experimentation. The features and advantages of the disclosure may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like, which has been included in the specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive implementations of the disclosure are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. Advantages of the disclosure will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of a first illustrative embodiment of a container in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure in an open conformation and mounted on a drinking straw inserted in a beverage serving cup.

FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are rear, front, right, left, top and bottom views of the container of FIG. 1 in isolation.

FIG. 8 depicts a front perspective view of the container of FIGS. 1 through 7 in isolation in a closed conformation.

FIG. 9 is a pattern for a single sheet of a material that may be cutout to form a foldable blank for creating a container similar to that of FIGS. 1 through 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure extends to methods, systems, and devices for food containers, especially drinking straw mountable food containers. In the following description of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific implementations in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is understood that other implementations may be utilized, and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Before the methods, systems and devices of the present disclosure are discussed and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular configurations, process steps, and materials disclosed herein as such configurations, process steps, and materials may vary somewhat. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing implementations only and is not intended to be limiting since the scope of the disclosure will be limited only by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

In describing and claiming the disclosure, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below.

It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

Further, although specific implementations of the disclosure have been described and illustrated, the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The scope of the disclosure is to be defined by the claims appended hereto, any future claims submitted here and in different applications, and their equivalents.

A first illustrative example of an embodiment of a container 10 in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure is depicted in FIGS. 1 through 8. Container includes a body portion 100, that may be generally formed as a cup for receiving food for food service. In the depicted embodiment, the container 10 may have a front side 1000 and an opposite back side 1002 that are joined together by a bottom panel and by side panels. In the depicted embodiment, the side panels may include a midline fold or crease and may not be joined to the bottom panel to allow for the container to flex. It will be appreciated that the depicted embodiment is sized and configured to hold cookies, but that the size, and shape of the container, including the number of panels may vary for use with differing food service items. A closure feature, such as closure recess 1003 may be disposed on the front side 1000.

An elongated tab generally indicated at 200 may extend upwards from the body 100. In the depicted embodiment, the elongated tab 200 may extend upwards from the back side panel 1002. The elongated tab 200 may include a middle or hinge portion 2002 and a distal or connection portion 2004. Folding or crease lines 2003 and 2005 may respectively separate the middle portion 2002 from the back panel 1002 and connection portion 2004 from the middle portion 2002.

The connection portion 2004 extends to a distal end 2006. A straw mounting recess 2008 passes through the tab near the distal end. As depicted, the straw mounting recess is sized and configured to be placed over a drinking straw, as by having a similar round shape with a slightly larger diameter than the drinking straw with which it is intended to be used. The straw mounting recess 2008 is spaced away from the distal end 2006 into the body of the tab 200 to provide sufficient strength for mounting use. The elongated tab 200 may be sized and configured to allow the container body 100 to dangle alongside a beverage container when the container is placed over a straw in the beverage container lid

As depicted in FIG. 1, in use in a first conformation, the connection portion 2004 of the elongated tab 200 may paced over a straw S that is inserted into the straw opening of a lid L on a beverage container C, such as a food service disposal cup. As shown, the elongated tab 200 may be sized and configured to allow the body 100 to dangle alongside the beverage container C when the container 10 is used in this fashion. As depicted, connection portion may extend at an angle to an edge of the lid L with fold 2005 adjacent to the lid L edge, with the middle portion 2002 extending downwards to the container fold 2003, which allows the container body 100 to reside at a suitable angle for use, which may vary based on the particular food item.

As depicted on FIG. 8, in a second conformation, the elongated tab may function as a closure for retaining food in the container. Tab 200 has been drawn forward, bending at fold 2003 and 2005 to place middle portion 2002 over the container body 100 and distal end 2006 inserted into the closure recess 1003. Where a food item, such as a cookie is placed in the container 10, the elongated tab serves a closure that can retain the item in the container 10, while remaining visible through open side spaces generally indicated at 800. The elongated tab 200 may be inserted into the recess 1003 a sufficient depth to retain the food item. In the depicted embodiment, closure recess 1003 may be a slot form in the front panel through which the distal end of tab 200 may be inserted into the cup portion of body 100. If will be appreciated that in addition to the depicted recess 1003, other mechanisms for securing the elongated tab to the container body for use as a closure may be used. For example, structures that interact with one another to form a releasable lock could be disposed on the front side 1000 and the connection portion 2004 at desired locations or a suitable releasable adhesive cold be disposed on one or both such surfaces.

In some embodiments, containers in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure may be constructed form a from a suitable paper or cardboard material, such as artboard with food safe coated surfaces, to serve as a disposable service item. In some illustrative embodiments, such containers in accordance with the present disclosure may be formed from a suitable material that can be cut as a single sheet to form a blank that can be folded to form a finished container. FIG. 9 depicts a layout for one such embodiment, where the container may be formed by cutting a single sheet of material that is then folded into the final form with tabs 900A and 900B extending from the front panel 1000 for folding to secure to the back panel 1002, as by application of a suitable adhesive, and thereby form the container sides. Other embodiments have other shapes may be used, especially for other food items. Additionally, embodiments made from other materials, such as a container formed from injection molded plastic with the folds formed as “living hinges” that are reusable are also contemplated.

Additionally, methods of serving food to customers using containers in accordance with the present disclosure may include assembling such containers, placing food in them and attaching the container to the straw on a drinking cup and then providing the container and drinking cup to a customer.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the disclosure. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure and the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and arrangements. Thus, while the disclosure has been shown in the drawings and described above with particularity and detail, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made without departing from the principles and concepts set forth herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A drinking straw mountable food serving container, comprising: a body portion formed as a cup for receiving food; an elongated tab extending upwards from a side of the body portion to a distal end with a straw mounting recess passing through the elongated tab near the distal end, the elongated tab sized and configured to allow the body to dangle alongside a beverage container when the container is placed over a straw in a lid on the beverage container.
 2. The drinking straw mountable food serving container of claim 1, wherein the elongated tab has at least two predetermined folding lines that define its dangling position when placed on the straw in a lid on the beverage container with one of the at least two predetermined folding lines disposed adjacent the lid of the beverage container.
 3. The drinking straw mountable food serving container of claim 2, wherein the container body includes a first connection feature, such that in a second conformation, the elongated tab functions as a closure for retaining food in the container by securing to the first connection feature.
 4. The drinking straw mountable food serving container of claim 3, wherein the first connection feature comprises a slot formed in a front portion of the body, such that distal end of the elongated tab may be inserted through the slot to an interior of the body.
 5. The drinking straw mountable food serving container of claim 3, wherein the at least two predetermined folding lines define a lid portion and a securing portion when the elongated tab is secured to the first connection feature.
 6. The drinking straw mountable food serving container of claim 1, wherein the container is formed from a single sheet of material that is folded to form a finished container.
 7. The drinking straw mountable food serving container of claim 1, wherein the body portion formed as a cup comprises a front panel and an opposite back panel, which are connected by a floor panel and at least two side panels, with the elongated tab extending from the back panel.
 8. A food serving container, comprising: a body portion formed as a cup with an open top, the body portion comprising a front panel and an opposite back panel, wherein the front panel; and opposite back panel are connected by a floor panel and at least two side panels; an elongated tab extending upwards from the back panel to a distal end, at least two predetermined folding lines formed in the elongated tab such that the elongated tab may be folded over the open top to contact the front panel with the elongated tab folding at the predetermined folding lines to define a medial lid portion with the open top accessible one either side of the elongated tab; and a connection slot accessible on the front panel, such that distal end of the elongated tab may be inserted through the connection slot to an interior of the body to retaining food in the container.
 9. The serving container of claim 8, wherein the at least two folding lines define a lid portion disposed over the open top when the elongated tab is secured in the connection slot.
 10. The serving container of claim 8, further comprising a straw mounting recess passing through the elongated tab near the distal end, the elongated tab sized and configured to allow the body to dangle alongside a beverage container when the container is placed over a straw in a lid on the beverage container.
 11. The container of claim 10, wherein the at least two predetermined folding lines define a dangling position for the container when placed on the straw in a lid on the beverage container with one of the at least two predetermined folding lines disposed adjacent the lid of the beverage container.
 12. The food serving container of claim 8, wherein the container is formed from a single sheet of material that is folded to form a finished container.
 13. A method of readying a food item for service in a food serving container, comprising: inserting a food item into a food serving container, wherein the food serving container comprises: a body portion formed as a cup with an open top for receiving food, an elongated tab extending upwards from a side of the body portion to a distal end with a straw mounting recess passing through the elongated tab near the distal end, the elongated tab sized and configured to allow the body portion to dangle alongside a beverage container when the container is placed over a straw in a lid on the beverage container; selecting whether the food item is to be served with a beverage; and where the food item is to be served with a beverage, placing the straw mounting recess over a drinking straw extending through a lid on a beverage container such that the elongated tab is secured to the drinking straw with the body portion alongside the beverage container.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting a position of the elongated tab on the drinking straw, such that a predetermined folding line on the elongated tab is disposed adjacent the lid of the beverage container.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising where the food item is not to be served with a beverage, folding the elongated tab over the open top of the body portion and securing the distal end of elongated tab to an opposite side of the body portion to secure the food item in the body portion with the open top accessible one either side of the elongated tab.
 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein securing the distal end of elongated tab to an opposite side of the body portion comprises inserting the distal end of the elongated tab through a connection slot formed in the opposite side of the body portion.
 17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the elongated tab is drawn into contact with the food item to secure it in the body portion.
 18. The method according to claim 15, wherein folding the elongated tab over the open top of the body portion comprises folding the elongated tab along at least two predetermined folding lines formed in the elongated tab to define a medial lid portion over the open top.
 19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising assembling the food serving container by folding a single sheet of material to form the food serving container.
 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein assembling the food serving container comprises folding the single sheet of material to form the body portion as a front panel and an opposite back panel, which are connected by a floor panel and at least two side panels, with the elongated tab extending from the back panel. 